epeek

Here is my experiance when it came to buying a 35. I looked for
2 years at used 35's. Everyone with 97-99 models were in the 85-
100k range. 00-02 were in the 110k - 130k range. Most were
equipped with 502's. If it had 500's that jack the price 10-15k
some boats clean,some not so clean,ALL HAD WEAR. Most guys
wouldnt even consider taking less. So why buy 6-10 year old boat
with old style dashes when I bought a brand new 05 EX for 141500
with a full cover thrown in ? It really is a no brainer. As far as Reggies
decision with the EX,I think it was a great move. Boats really are getting
way overpriced. I could,but never would pay 235k for a 35 Fountain. Maybe
a 42,but not a 35.

GLH

So much for resale!

Jupiter Sunsation

Epeek- What power did you get for 141K?

GLH - Did you sell your old Tiger or just trade it in?
Wondering what you and DPT were getting for calls, real buyers or tire kickers?

For you Fountain guys, GLH and DPT both are/were selling their 42 Tigers with big/ built power...................

epeek

496's

RaggedEdge

Currently there are more Fountains For Sale in the classifeds than any other Boat manufactor. That should be a clue....[/QUOTE]

You need to qualify this statement, there are more Fountains built every year than any of the other perf builders, maybe excepting Baja, out there. Therefore more on the used market as well. There are more Chevrolets on the market than there are Jaguars, simple numbers deal.

The most rapid growth in the Fountain line over the last few years has been in their Fish boat offerings. These fishermen are as, if not more so, dedicated to their sport as we hot rodders, and they are willing to spend real money on their sport. Check out the company stats, largest backlog of orders in company history, the Man must be doing something right.

In regard to the Lightning vs Executioner deal, the old original still has appeal. The new version gives you more speed per applied horsepower, but the old version can still hold it's own in todays market, and at a real value in terms of dollars spent. It's a win win for Reggie!!!

The real deal today is real speed with reliable, stock (Merc) power, and Fountain is working this deal real hard. The 47 Poker Run Edition w/ 1075's at 116 MPH ,with a warranty, is the ultimate in this regard. Speeds like this, A/C, and a porcelian pooper, what else could any man ask for ?

No!!!! I do not work for Fountain, just a hard core fan!!!!!!!!

epeek

The boat your buying....How much new? What are
you paying? I'll bet someone took a beating on it.

FeverMike

Foun tain fish boat are highly reguarded and some of the best if not the best 38 center console on the market. I LOVE performance boat but got sick of being in the bildge all the time and I wanted more room on the boat and a easier boat to clean up. I moved to center consoles. Outboards just plain work period and cleaning up my 38 center console Fountain is very easy. Oh yeah it still goes 73mph too and cruises very nicely.

Need-the-Speed

Don't take me the wrong way. I to own a Fountain and I'm a Fan of Reggies Boats. My opinion as to why Jonas and MANY others are having a hard time selling their boats is becouse of the deeply discounted 35 Ex. Like you said "It's a win, win for Reggie!!!" and Reggie is the only one winning with that deal. It's the poor bastards that bought a 35 lightning the year before that are takin' in the a$$. Maybe I should ask, what would you do for the same price, buy a NEW 06-07 Exacutioner or a 5-6 year old Lightning (that goes 10 mph faster). In my opinion like epeek said it's really a no brainer.
Cheverolet did the same thing with the "employee discount promo". I bought my wife a 05 Trailblazer LT in Nov. of 04 for 34K and change. I believe it was about 8 mos. later that Chevy unleashed the Employ Discount promo. The identical Truck was selling for 26K!! WTF??? Yeah, I lost almost 10k IN EIGHT MOS.!!!! Who made out on that deal....yeah Chevy.

You also have to remember when this whole 35 executioner thing went down Reggie was in the midst of some serious $$$$ problems - thus the newly added Mercury on the end of Fountain. Maybe this could have played a part in his decision to release a 35 100K cheaper than the year before.
As I've been told, the dealer that I purchased my boat was at one time the largest Fountain dealer in the U.S. . He told Reggie to go F#ck himself over dinner when Reggie explained that he couldn't pony up any of the "bonus promo $$$" that he owed to the dealer(you know for selling so many boats). This was a rather large chunk of $$$. A rather large chunk that the dealer was planning on using as a down payment on the new floor plan he just ordered. Obviously this put a wrinkle in the finance dept. at the dealership and they told Reggie to go F!ck his new line up. If I'm not mistaken this happened in 00' but I'm not positive. I guess my point with all of this is to remember Reggie is a business man who has to do what it takes to stay alive even if that means stick it in Loyal 35 Fountain Fan Jonas's A$$ when he's tryin' to sell his boat. Just my take.

bmanafort

I was in the same position with my 2002 42' fountain. I went the the miami boat show in 2003 and they dropped the boat by $60,000 and than take in consideration the 42' ex and I felt super foolish. Sold the boat, took my lumps. What was terrible for me is great for others. Probably will never buy new again but if I did I would look at the ex line. Bottom line is that today you can get better bang for your buck than a few years ago. You can make the same argument with my first DVD player.

epeek

Well said. I still think the move Reggie made with
the Ex line was excellent. First off,the Ex & lightning are
2 different boats. Twin step,euro lines,taller deck,better
interior Vs. Old lines,single step. Personally,I like the
looks of the EX much better,but thats just my opinion.
That said,I think the line of Ex's got alot of people back
in Fountains,and brought alot of people to Fountain.
It was always meant to be a price line boat with few
options. I think the Ex brought Fountain back from the
brink in 2003 and built in alot of customers who will trade
up to bigger & better lines of Fountains. Lets face it,
Not alot of people can spend 150k on a toy, let alone
250-350K. The performance boat market is out of hand
price wise. A least with a reasonable priced line,you
can get some people in your boats. I'm sure the Ex line
is also very profitable for Fountain....so why not build
them,and actually sell them!! This definitely hurt the
guys who bought lightnings in 01 and 02 but there is
still a market for them. Hell Jonas bought the boat about
2 years ago. There were EX's then,but he decided on the
lightning. Must be some reason. That boat suited him better
and will suit someone else also. The bottom line is,everthing
sells at the right price. Last but not least,no manufacturer
guaranties resale. You here about Cigs holding value. Go buy
a new one today and sell it in 2 years. Then come tell me
what you lost in real dollars. 100k is a 100k no matter what
it cost to start with.